


Return To Sender

by Wix



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M, Not A Fix-It, Not Stony Endgame, One-Sided Relationship, Pining, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Texting, The Flip Phone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-15 14:53:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15415422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wix/pseuds/Wix
Summary: Absence makes the heart grow fonder…too bad that isn’t true for everyone.





	Return To Sender

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!  
> Just a short one-shot that I typed up this morning. Enjoy!

It only took two weeks for the ‘big revelation’ to happen. Two weeks of wandering around Wakanda in a kind of melancholic daze that no amount of his friends or Bucky were able to permeate. Two weeks of holding that phone in his hands and glancing at it every waking moment hoping beyond hope that _this_ time would be the time that Tony would reach out and they would be able to start that path towards reconciliation. Two weeks of lying awake in his bed thinking about the brunet billionaire. Two weeks of random sketches that he feels like he has to hide from everyone else. Two weeks of wondering if maybe he should have done all of this differently.

To be honest, when he finally realizes what’s happening it isn’t so much a ‘big’ revelation as it is just a revelation. When he realizes what this is, this feeling inside of him that feels like it’s festering so far away from the eccentric engineer – it feels less surprising than some people would probably think it should have been.

Instead, it happened when he had just finished a sketch and in his heart he _knew_ and it was as simple as coming home after a long day. The ease and the feeling of rightness that flowed through him.

The soft ‘of course’ moment instead of the startled ‘eureka!’.

 _Tony, I’m always here for you._ Steve sends over text and even though Tony doesn’t reply, it soothes something inside of Steve to know that Tony knows it. That Tony knows he’s only one phone call away – one simple message away.

He spends his time in Wakanda with the others, trying to navigate their rage and betrayal at the situation they’ve found themselves in. He spends it at Bucky’s side as he makes the decision to go back under the ice and Steve mourns.

 _He doesn’t feel safe._ Steve sends over the text, just like the various others he’s done to keep the brunet appraised of their situation. _I don’t think it’s a good idea, but it’s what he wants. How can I stand in front of that?_ He sighs as he lays in bed. _I miss you Tony, I wish you were here._ He sends off, rolling over and falling asleep with the phone clutched in his hand. He checks it in the morning for a reply, but as always there’s nothing but an empty inbox.

He wishes that Tony would stop ghosting his messages and just reach out. Reply to him and start an open communication between them.

 _I love you._ Steve texts the day Bucky goes into the cryotube and Steve’s locked himself in his room and has cried for who knows how long. The feeling of loss emboldens him and he sends out the confession that he’s been holding inside of him. _I have for a long time, I just didn’t realize it._ He continues on, telling Tony everything that’s been on his heart and his mind. He sends it with a small feeling of relief and he falls asleep that night with a smile on his face even though he would have thought that impossible.

Tony was always doing the impossible it seemed. Even now.

Tony doesn’t reply to the text, but Steve sees a news report detailing the amicable breakup between him and Pepper and that answer is so much better than anything Tony could have ever typed up in response.

+++

“Did you hear?” Sam asks, excitement in his voice and Steve looks up from his text.

“Hear what?”

“We’re going home.” He says with the biggest, and most relieved smile that Steve thinks he’s seen on Sam’s face in…well ever.

“What?” Steve asks, sitting up straighter and Sam nods.

“T’Challa’s just given us the green light.” He explains. “We’re going home.” Steve feels himself matching Sam’s smile. “Hurry up and go pack, I don’t know about you but I’m more than ready to blow this Popsicle stand.” Steve nods at Sam’s words as the other man takes off.

 _Thank you Tony._ He sends. _I’ll see you soon, love._

+++

If anyone has anything to say about Steve being the first one down the ramp, they kindly don’t do it and Steve doesn’t really think he’d pay much attention to it if they did. He’s only got one destination in mind right now and that’s to make it to where Tony is standing on the landing pad talking to Rhodes.

“Tony.” Steve greets and it feels like that one word is carrying so much weight and so many unsaid things. Tony glances at him and he doesn’t return the soft smile that Steve’s giving him.

“Rogers.” Tony replies and it sounds far too… _hollow_ for the situation at hand. “You’ll want to get settled in and speak to your Accords Liaison as soon as possible.” Tony tells him before turning around and leaving with Rhodes. Steve stands where Tony’s left him for a short while, confusion running through him.

Has Tony not told Rhodes about them yet? Why hide it? Does he think that the Colonel wouldn’t approve?

+++

“Come in.” Tony’s voice calls out and Steve pushes open the door and enters the workshop. It’s been a few days and he hasn’t had a chance to get Tony alone. Someone or something always seems to be pulling them apart before they can come together. Steve looks around and he sees the bottom half of the engineer lying on the ground as he’s half under one of the legs of the HulkBuster armor that’s got significant damage to it.

“What happened?” Steve asks and Tony slides out for a moment to look at him before sighing and rolling himself back under.

“Abomination. Or that’s what he was calling himself these days. What did you need Rogers?” Tony asks and his voice is muffled from where he’s working on the wiring.

“I thought it was finally time to talk…about everything.” Steve says. “About where we stand and all that.” Steve pulls a stool over and takes a seat. “I mean, for a while it felt like I was just talking to the void.” Steve admits with a smile.

“The void?” Tony’s voice questions.

“The texts.” Steve says. “I mean, you never actually replied back to them and it was difficult sometimes to see your response. Well, it was hard until the Pepper announcement. Then it was really easy to hear your replies. I guess I was just blind before.” Tony rolls out again with a confused look on his face.

“The Pepper announcement? Which one?” He asks.

“The breakup.” Steve points out and Tony does an unhappy little face.

“Thanks for bringing that back up.” Tony says with a huff as he rolls back under. Steve contemplates what to say. ‘ _I’m sorry that it didn’t work out between you two but I guess I’m not sorry that it led you to me?’_ It just seems unnecessary. “And what texts are you talking about?” Tony asks a moment later and Steve freezes.

“The texts I’ve been sending you? The phone?” He prompts and Tony makes an aborted sort of noise.

“Oh, _that_ phone. I gave it to FRIDAY when I got it. If you’ve been sending messages I haven’t gotten them.” Tony tells him and Steve shakes his head.

“No, no you got them.” He argues. “Why else would you break up with Pepper?” There’s a pause before Tony rolls out again.

“…where the hell does my breakup with Pepper fit in with this?” He asks.

“Because of what I said. Because of what I told you.” Steve tells him and Tony just tilts his head.

“Rogers, I _just_ told you. I didn’t get any of your text messages. So if you revealed some big harboring crush you had on Pepper – which good choice by the way because she’s brilliant and perfect – I honestly don’t know about it.” He shakes his head. “Although I’m going to be kind and tell you that your chances with Pep are absolutely zero if you honestly want to try your hand. She’ll rip you a new one, but best of luck. Call me when you go to tell her though, I’ll pop popcorn and just watch the flames.”

“Tony…Tony I’m not in love with _Pepper_.” Steve tells him and there’s a feeling in his chest that feels something like betrayal. Tony’s lying, why is he lying?

“Then I honestly have no idea what my breakup with Pepper would have told you. Or what answers you were reading in tea leaves.” Tony says as he pushes himself up to his feet and walks over to his work desk and grabs a cloth to clean his hands with.

“…I told you I love you, and then you broke up with her.” Steve says, standing up and taking a step towards the brunet. Tony pauses in his hand cleaning for a second and he takes a deep breath afterwards.

“Wow…okay.” He says, nodding more to himself than anything. “Unfortunate timing for you then.” Tony turns to him and there isn’t love or anything like that on his face. Just a pinched sort of irritation. “And you can take your ‘love’ and walk out the door with it.” He says and Steve goes to say something but he cuts him off. “No, I’m serious. Get the hell out of my workshop. Of all the-” He shakes his head. “No, you know what. We’re not going to do this. I didn’t read your texts Rogers and now I’m glad I didn’t. FRIDAY, thank you and good choice.”

 ** _‘Of course Boss.’_** The AI replies.

“Now get out.” Tony says, looking back at Steve. “And never fucking insult me again with bullshit like that.”

“Insult? Tony I love you.” Steve says and Tony shakes his head with a soft, almost disbelieving, chuckle.

“You _love_ me? Do you now?” He asks and there’s something cold and glacial in his voice. “Well then maybe you shouldn’t have lied to me and left me to die so you could run off with your self-righteousness and bullheadedness.”

“Bucky was innocent Tony, and I-”

“Did you hear me say a thing about Barnes? No? No you didn’t because I didn’t. I only mentioned _you_. You were the problem, and what? You found clarity or something in Wakanda? Well I found it while you were all there too.”

“Tony…”

“I don’t love you Rogers, I don’t even like you.” Tony says and for a moment he sounds so tired, like that truth is so absolute that he has no other option than to reveal it. “Get out…just…just get out. Let’s pretend this never happened and just go on our merry little ways.”

“But I lo-”

“Don’t.” Tony cuts him off with a sigh. “Just don’t.” Tony turns away from him and it feels so symbolic. “Dum-E, escort him out please.” The bot comes over and grabs Steve’s arm in a firm grip as it drags him to the door and pushes him out.

“Tony!” Steve tries to say but the brunet isn’t listening anymore.

Iron Man leaves the team after that, opting to only work with the new outside members and Tony’s lab seems to disappear overnight. Tony doesn’t respond to any of Steve’s attempts to reach out no matter how many times Steve tries.

And Steve, left in the wreckage, cradles his broken heart.

**Author's Note:**

> Please no comments of a critiquing/negative nature. Thank you.


End file.
